The Big Apple Circus, the up-close _ no seat more than 50 feet from its single ring _ Big Top entertainment, has returned to the city that gave the circus its name.

The new show, on a nearly yearlong, 10-city tour, is called "Play On!" and will run Oct. 23-Jan. 18 at Lincoln Center's Damrosch Park. Presided over by ringmistress Carrie Harvey, "Play On!" features Grandma, one of the best-known smile masters in clown world, played by Barry Lubin.

Other performers are drawn from countries around the world including Russia, Italy, Belgium, China, Germany and Columbia.

Tickets are available by calling 212-962-5471, 888-541-3750, or at the Web site,

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Broadway ticket availability and capsule reviews of shows as of Oct. 13. Unless otherwise noted, tickets are available at the theaters' box offices for the shows listed. Details about how to obtain tickets appear at the end.

_"13." A young man tries to fit in. A new musical with a score by Jason Robert Brown. Bernard B. Jacobs. Telecharge.

_"A Man for All Seasons." Frank Langella stars as Sir Thomas More in this Roundabout Theatre Company revival of Robert Bolt's play about the battle between More and King Henry VIII. American Airlines. 212-719-1300. Closes Dec. 14.

_"A Tale of Two Cities." A musical version of Charles Dickens' historical novel about the French Revolution. Al Hirschfeld. Telecharge.

_"August: Osage County." Tracy Letts' drama, a hit for Chicago's Steppenwolf Theatre Company, concerns a venomous mother and her dealings with three daughters. Winner of the 2008 Tony Award for best play. Music Box. Telecharge.

_"Avenue Q." Love blossoms among the 20-something set _ a group that includes puppets _ in this very funny, adult musical comedy. Golden. Telecharge.

_"Billy Elliot." A young man in Britian's bleak coal country yearns to dance. A musical based on the hit film. Now in previews. Opens Nov. 13. Imperial. Telecharge.

_"Equus." Richard Griffiths and Daniel Radcliffe star in a revival of Peter Shaffer's play about a young man who blinds six horses _ and why he did it. Broadhurst. Telecharge.

_"Grease." A revival of the venerable musical celebrating 1950s high school and featuring stars chosen during the recent NBC television reality series. Brooks Atkinson. Ticketmaster.

_"Gypsy." A powerhouse Patti LuPone stars as the mother of stripper Gypsy Rose Lee in a revival of one of the greatest of all Broadway musicals. St. James. Telecharge.

_"Hairspray." The cult John Waters movie set in 1960s Baltimore has been turned into a hilarious, tuneful musical. Neil Simon. Ticketmaster.

_"In the Heights." The lively off-Broadway musical about Latino residents in an area of upper Manhattan called Washington Heights moves to Broadway. Winner of the 2008 Tony Award for best musical. Richard Rodgers. Ticketmaster.

_"Jersey Boys." The musical story of Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons. Winner of four 2006 Tonys including best musical. August Wilson. Telecharge. Difficult.

_"Legally Blonde." Bailey Hanks, MTV reality show winner, now stars in this musical version of the Reese Witherspoon movie about a determined young woman who goes to Harvard Law School. Palace. Ticketmaster. Closes Oct. 19.

_"Mamma Mia!" The London musical sensation featuring the pop songs of ABBA makes it to Broadway. Die-hard ABBA fans will like it best. Winter Garden. Telecharge.

_"Mary Poppins." The world's most famous nanny comes to the stage after her great success as a P.L. Travers book and a Disney movie. New Amsterdam. Ticketmaster, a special Disney hot line, 212-307-4747.

_"Monty Python's Spamalot." A musical inspired by that demented film comedy "Monty Python and the Holy Grail." Shubert. Telecharge.

_"South Pacific." Kelli O'Hara is nurse Nellie Forbush and Paulo Szot is French plantation owner Emile de Becque in a revival of the Rodgers and Hammerstein musical based on one of the short stories in James A. Michener's "Tales of the South Pacific." Vivian Beaumont. Telecharge. Difficult.

_"Speed-The-Plow." A revival of David Mamet's darkly comic play about the Hollywood film industry. Jeremy Piven, Elisabeth Moss and Raul Esparza star. Now in previews. Opens Oct. 23. Ethel Barrymore. Telecharge. _"Spring Awakening." A striking rock musical based on Frank Wedekind's classic drama about a dozen young people discovering their sexual identities. Music by Duncan Sheik. Book and lyrics by Steven Sater. Eugene O'Neill. Telecharge.

_"To Be or Not to Be." Nick Whitby's stage adaptation of the 1942 film comedy about the tribulations of a theater troupe in Warsaw trying to open a play as the Nazis invade Poland. A Manhattan Theatre Club production. Samuel J. Friedman. Telecharge.

_"The 39 Steps." A stage adaptation by Patrick Barlow of Alfred Hitchcock's 1935 movie thriller about a man on the run. Four actors portray more than 150 roles. Cort. Telecharge.

_"The Lion King." Director Julie Taymor is a modern-day Merlin, creating a stage version of the Disney animated hit that makes you truly believe in the magic of theater. Minskoff. Ticketmaster, a special Disney hot line, 212-307-4747. Difficult on weekends.

_"The Little Mermaid." Disney's stage version of its popular animated film about a sea maiden who longs to live on land. Lunt-Fontanne. Ticketmaster, a special Disney hot line, 212-307-4747.

_"The Phantom of the Opera." The one with the chandelier. The Andrew Lloyd Webber musical about a deformed composer who haunts the Paris Opera House is the prime, Grade A example of big Brit musical excess. But all the lavishness does have a purpose in Harold Prince's intelligent production, now the longest-running show in Broadway history. Majestic. Telecharge.

_"Wicked." An ambitious, wildly popular musical about the witches in "The Wizard of Oz" as young women. Based on the novel by Gregory Maguire. Gershwin. Ticketmaster. Difficult.

_"Young Frankenstein." Mel Brooks transfers his comedic monster mash of a movie from screen to stage _ only with more song and dance. Hilton. Ticketmaster.

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The Telecharge number is 212-239-6200 unless otherwise indicated. There is a $7 service charge per ticket, plus a handling fee per order that varies from $2.50 to $4 depending on method of delivery.

Ticketmaster is 212-307-4100. There is a $7 "convenience" charge per ticket, plus a handling fee per order that varies depending on method of delivery.

All theaters owned by Jujamcyn _ the St. James, Martin Beck, Virginia, Eugene O'Neill and the Walter Kerr _ have a $2.00 surcharge per ticket for theater restoration. Shows in Shubert theaters have a "facilities" surcharge of $1.50 per ticket.

Both Telecharge and Ticketmaster will provide information on specific seat locations. They also have toll-free numbers for theater ticket calls outside New York, New Jersey and Connecticut. For Telecharge call 800-432-7250; for Ticketmaster call 800-755-4000.

The League of American Theaters and Producers has a special telephone line called the Broadway Line for information on most Broadway shows (except "The Lion King" and "Beauty and the Beast") and how to purchase tickets. Calls must be made on a touch-tone phone. The number is 1-888-BROADWAY. The line also will provide information on Broadway touring productions. Consumers in the New York tri-state area may call 212-302-4111.

The new TKTS booth in Times Square reopens Thursday Oct. 16 and until then is in a temporary location just outside the New York Marriott Marquis hotel on West 46th Street between Broadway and Eighth Avenue. It sells same-day discount tickets to Broadway, off-Broadway, music and dance productions. There is a $4 service charge per ticket. Cash or travelers checks only. Hours of operation are Monday through Saturday evening performances, 3 p.m.-8 p.m.; matinees Wednesday and Saturday, 10 a.m.-2 p.m.; Sunday 11 a.m.-7 p.m.

The downtown TKTS booth is in the South Street Seaport at the corner of Front and John Streets. Hours of operation are Monday through Saturday 11 a.m.-6 p.m., Sunday, 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Credit cards are accepted at South Street.

Matinee tickets must be purchased at South Street Seaport the day before, meaning Wednesday matinee tickets are available Tuesday, Saturday matinee tickets are available Friday and Sunday matinee tickets are available Saturday. A TKTS booth in downtown Brooklyn, located at 1 MetroTech Center (the corner of Jay Street and Myrtle Avenue), operates Monday through Friday 11 a.m.-6 p.m. for same-day evening performances and next-day matinee performances. Cash, credit cards and travelers checks accepted.

Full-price tickets and information on Broadway and off-Broadway shows are available at the Broadway Concierge & Ticket Center, located in the Times Square Information Center on the east side of Broadway between 46th Street and 47th Street. There is a $6.50 service charge per ticket. Information on restaurants, hotels and parking also is available.